1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording medium comprising an ink accepting layer and a glossy layer serving as a surface layer provided on a substrate, wherein such glossy layer is hardened by means of a zirconium compound and a resin capable of reacting with the zirconium compound and forming a crosslinking structure. More particularly, the present invention relates to a recording medium including a hardened glossy layer serving as a surface layer, accomplishing outstanding lightfastness of images, outstanding surface damage resistance and conveyance of the recording medium, improved waterfastness and printing density (color property) of images, and improved glossiness and ink absorbing property of the recording medium. The present invention also relates to a manufacturing method of such recording medium, as well as a recording method using such recording medium and a recorded matter having ink images recorded using such recording medium.
2. Description of Related Art
Plain paper, a recording medium having a glossy surface on the recording side, or coating paper having an ink accepting layer on the recording side (surface side) are known as a recording medium for forming and recording images including letters. In recent years, these recording mediums are required to enable production of clear color images having higher resolution, and to preserve the favorable quality of images and thereby provide clear images over a long period of time. For the long-term preservation of clear images with high resolution, such images must exhibit high lightfastness even if exposed to light for a long period of time.
Furthermore, the recent development in technology has enabled the production of high picture quality images comparable to silver halide photography. Therefore, recording mediums are required to have the same level of glossiness as silver halide photography. There has been a problem, however, in that when images are recorded (printed) on a glossy recording medium, notched roller traces are left by the conveying mechanism of a printer.
With the purpose of providing an inkjet recording paper exhibiting high lightfastness and other favorable properties for preserving the quality of printed images, Patent Laid-Open Publication No HEI 6-32046 suggests an aqueous inkjet recording paper wherein at least one side of a base material is provided with an ink accepting coating layer 2 to 20 g/m2, mainly consisting of: (a) amorphous fine powder silica 60 to 90 percents by weight (of the total solid content of the paint); (b) vinyl alcohol copolymer including silanol group 5 to 30 percents by weight; and (c) a zirconium compound 0.1 to 10 percents by weight.
However, this recording paper exhibits insufficient lightfastness, remaining at almost the same level as that of conventional recording papers. Furthermore, this recording paper is a non-glossy type.
Similarly, with the purpose of providing an inkjet recording medium exhibiting favorable ink acceptance upon recording, high recording picture quality, and high preservation after recording, suitably used upon recording with aqueous ink, Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 4-7189 suggests an inkjet recording medium comprising a special ink accepting layer on a substrate, which is fabricated by adding oxychloride zirconium inorganic polymer to the coating liquid for forming the ink accepting layer. However, this recording medium is also a non-glossy type and fails to fulfill the above requirement.
Moreover, in order accomplish high resolution, a device for recording images on a recording medium must be able to firmly press down a recording medium and perform a highly accurate conveyance. Therefore, a device having a notched roller (thin-plate star wheel) is generally used as a recording device. If images are recorded onto recording mediums using such recording device, notched rollers are pressed against the recording surface on which images are to be produced, whereby linear and dot traces (xe2x80x9cnotched roller tracesxe2x80x9d) of the rollers are left on the recording surface. Especially, in the case of recording mediums having a glossy surface or recording mediums such as coating paper, the notched roller traces are left on the surface of a recording medium in a conspicuous manner and the quality of the high resolution images is thereby impaired. In order to solve this problem, various technologies are proposed for making the surface damage of the recording medium less conspicuous and thereby enhancing the quality of images (Patent Laid-open Publications No. HEI 8-300805, No. HEI 8-300806, 8-332722, No. HEI 11-91240, etc.)
However, in the case of these recording mediums and recording methods, the surface damage of the recording medium is still conspicuous and there remains a problem in the quality of images. Moreover, use of conventional recording mediums causes the generation of paper powder or the falling of powder from the surface of the recording medium when paper is fed by a printer for printing, or the feeding of paper in several layers or the complete failure in feeding paper. Thus, conventional recording mediums have a problem in terms of conveyance.
As explained above, a recording medium is required to exhibit outstanding properties in terms of lightfastness, glossiness, surface damage resistance, conveyance, waterfastness of images, printing density, ink absorption, etc. None of the conventional recording mediums have fulfilled all of these requirements.
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to solve the problems above and to provide a recording medium accomplishing outstanding lightfastness of images, outstanding gloss surface, surface damage resistance and conveyance of the recording medium, as well as improved waterfastness and printing density of images, and improved ink absorption of the recording medium.
In order to accomplish the aforementioned object, the present invention provides a recording medium for inkjet/bubblejet printers or the like, comprising on a substrate an ink accepting layer and a glossy layer serving as a surface layer. The glossy layer serving as a surface layer is hardened by its components, i.e., a zirconium compound and a resin capable of reacting with the zirconium compound and forming a crosslinking structure. The recording medium thereby exhibits outstanding lightfastness, glossiness, surface damage resistance and conveyance, as well as improved waterfastness, ink absorption, and image printing density.
The glossy layer serving as a surface layer, which is hardened by a zirconium compound and a resin capable of reacting with the zirconium compound and forming a crosslinking structure, particularly enhances the lightfastness of images and resists to the notched rollers pressed against the surface layer, such that the recording medium exhibits higher surface damage resistance and prevents traces on the surface layer. Furthermore, the hardened glossy layer serving as the surface layer has an increased surface intensity and prevents the generation of paper powder or the falling of powder when the recording medium is conveyed by a printer, and the conveyance of the recording medium is thus enhanced.
In conventional recording mediums, the higher the glossiness, the more conspicuous the surface damage (notched roller traces) caused by notched rollers or the like. Whereas, the recording medium according to the present invention has high glossiness, and yet the surface damage caused by notched rollers or the like is dramatically reduced.